Thrifty Thursday: Cereal Alternatives

This week I have a quick Thrifty tip I thought I’d share… alternatives to breakfast cereals. Most of the cereal you buy in a colorful box is not only not very good for you, since it is highly processed and often contains lots of sugar, but it is usually very expensive. A couple of great alternatives that we’ve found are eating whole grains like oatmeal, or for something crunchy, granola, from the bulk bins instead.

Oatmeal is generally .79 cents a pound, sometimes less when it’s on sale, and we usually buy granola in bulk for about $1.99 per pound. These are very inexpensive compared to prepackaged breakfast cereals, and they are much more versatile. You can add almost anything to your oatmeal in the morning. Try berries and cream, cinnamon and brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, honey and almonds, dried cranberries, bananas, apples, lemon juice… you name it. And oatmeal can be used to make muffins, cookies, breads and more.

Granola comes in many flavors with all kinds of different whole grains, nuts, or dried fruit, or can be made from scratch. It’s great over yogurt, or in a bowl with milk (like you would eat regular cereal). It usually holds it’s crunch pretty well, taking a long time before it gets soggy. It’s much healthier for you than breakfast cereal, and much less expensive. H loves it like this. He also loves it as part of a home-made trail mix with pretzels and dried fruit.

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2 thoughts on “Thrifty Thursday: Cereal Alternatives”

Does anyone have a place to recommend affordable granola? I can’t find it for less than $3.50 a lb bulk. I’d also love any homemade granola recipes. I especially like seeds, nuts and maple in granola, but I usually end up buying the pricey stuff. Even my kids love the Bear Naked and stuff, so I’ve got to find a way economize on it. Any suggestions?